Lubricating system



June11 ,1929. QQBRADBURY' l1,716,482

LUBRICATING SYSTEM l Filed April 3. 1922.

Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT oFFlcE. I

CLIFFORD BRADBURY, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ALEMITE MANU- FACTURING CORIIEORATION', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

LUBRIGATING SYSTEM.

Application filed April 3,

My invention relates to improvements inlubricating systems and is particularly concerned with, though not limited to, the lubricating systems of the type comprising a plurality of littings or nipples, one of which is secured toeach of the bearings to be lubricated, and a high pressure lubricant compressor having a discharge conduit provided with a coupling member adapted to be successively attached to and detached from the fittings so as to permit lubrilant under high pressure to be forced into the bearings through the iitg tings.

With such systems, it is possible easily to develop pressures of from 500 to 1,000 pounds per square inch, Which are usually-adequate for the purpose intended. It sometimes happens, however, that, where a bearing has not been lubricated for some time, or, for other reasons, the used lubricant becomes hardcned, it is very 'difficult to develop suihcient pressure in the type of compressor forming a part of such system to dislodge this more or less congealed and hardened, used lubricant.

Furthermore, the development of excessively high pressures in a compressor and the discharge conduit of the compressor is undesirable because they are notdesigned to withstand such excessive pressures. Particularly. is this true of the discharge conduit Which is usually formed of flexible metallic conduit. It is sometimes necessary to develop pressures as high as 5,000 pounds per square inch in order to dislodge the used lubricant from a bearing, and such pressure might injure not only the discharge conduit, but alsothe compresser itself.

One of the objects of my invention is, there-- fore, to provide a lubricating system to such construction that it-will be comparatively' easy to subject the lubricant to excessively high pressures to enable lubricant to be forced into bearings having high resistance.

Another object of my invention is to provide a lubricating system comprising a compressor of the character described in Whichl the means for increasing the pressure on the lubricant becomes operative or acts only when there is a necessity of developing such high pressures. v

A third object is to provide a compressor such as described-in which the pressure-in 1922. Serial No. 548,986.

creasing means operates automatically Whenever the conditions require its operation.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a lubricating system comprising a prlmary compressor having a'discharge conduit, and a secondaryv compressor connected Withv said discharge conduit and provided With means for preventing the high pressures developed in the secondary compressor from' being communicated to the primary compressor or its discharge conduit.

My invention also contemplates the provision of a secondary compressor Which can be easily and quickly attached to and detached from the primary comp. issor so that the operator can quickly bring it into service Whenlsystem embodying my invention; and

Figure 2 is a'central longitudinal section through the secondary compressorof my improved system, this vievv being taken on line 2 2 of Figurel.

Throughout both of the figures of the drawing, similar reference characters Will be used for referring to similar parts.

The embodiment of my invention Which I have illustrated comprises a primary compressor indicated in general by the reference character P, the one shown being a WellknoWn type of compressor and comprising a cylinder 5 having a removable cap 6 at one end, Which can be removed for the purpose of filling the barrel. A piston rod 7 is threaded through the cap 6 and provided at its inner end With a suitable piston 8`and at its outer end With a handle 9 by means ofWhich it can be rotated. The barrel 5 is provided with a flexible metallic discharge conduit l0, the free end of Which is provided With a swivel coupling 11 of Well-known type. The details of construction of this'cou'pling member may be greatly varied vWithout departing from my invention, as the only purpose of this coupling member is to make a detachable sealed connection with the couplingmember 12 secured to one end of the secondary compressor indicated as a Whole by the reference character S. The coupling member 12 as shown eol v any other suitable means, mayl be used for is provided with a pin 13, the opposite endsof which project beyond the walls of the cou# pling member 12 and are adapted toco-act with the bayonet slots 14 in the coupling 11- to detachably connect these two members.

The secondary compressor forming a part of4 my improved system comprises a pair of diiferentialeylinders, the larger of which is indicated by the 'reference character 15 and the smaller'of which is indicated by the reference lcharacter 16. The outer end ofthe smaller cylinder is enlarged to form` a plug 17 for closingthendof the cylinder 15 ref.

mote from the coupling member 12, which closesl the opposite end of the"largercylixr der, as -shown"`in'Figure 2. A screw. 18, or

retaining the's'maller cylinder in place within the larger cylinder. j 1

Reciprocab'l'y mounted `within the diielren-l tial cylinders is a vdifferential piston compris'- ing a tubular member 19, to one end of which is securedthe cup :leather or gasket 20 by means ofthe thimble 21,"which has screwthreaded engagement with the tubular member 19. This end of the differential piston operatesrtin the smaller cylinder 16. 'The larger gasket 22, snugly itting'the larger cylinder, is secured to the opposite end of thev tubular member 19 by means ofthe thimble 23, between the overhanging flange 24 ofv which and the nut 25, threaded upon the exterior of the tubular member 19, is clamped the inner end of thevgasket 22. A helical spring 26, confined between the enlargement 17 ofthe cylinder 16 and the nut 25, provides means for yieldingly holding the differential piston in the position shown in Figure 2. A bore 27 extends through the thimble 21, the

` tubular vmember `1,9 and thel thimble 23 and `,affords communication between the t wo"c y`fl finders and also provides a passageway forthe 'gfiow of lubricant from the primary compressor through the secondary compressor to the bearing to be lubricated. Y v

I provide a check valve 28 for yieldingly closing the passageway 27, this check valve being held in place against the inner end of the thimble 23 by means of a helicalspring- Y 29, the inner .end of which abuts against the shoulder 30 formed in the bore 27. This check valve closes toward the primary compressor. The tensionl of this spring 29 is such that it will permit the valve .Y 38 to be` opened by grease under a pressure insuiicient to cause the large piston 24 to overcome the Y tension exerted upon it by the spring 26. I'

provide coupling means for connecting the smaller or high pressure cylinder 16 with a Iitting 31 secured to a bearingcomprising ay sleeve 32, having a pair of oppositely disposed bayonet slots 33 formed in its outer ends for co-actlng with the ends of the pin 34extending from theitting 31. This fitting isof al well-known type and comprisesa spring pressed closure 35 for closing its outer end. The-sleeve 32 is secured at its-inner end to a second sleeve '36 which is rotatably mounted upon the tubular'member 37, the sleeve 36 being provided with an enlargement 38 which is narrowed upon its outer periphery, this member being used for rotatin '32 in making connection with a fitting. The inner en'd of the tubular member 37 is en-` larged, as shown at 39, and has a threaded/ engagement with the tubularboss 40|`extend infr from the outer end of the cylinder 16. Slldably mounted inthe sleeve 32 is a cup leather or gasket 41 which is yieldingly urged in an outward direction by the spring 42.

The,details of construction of the swivel coupling member just described are wellknown to those skilled in this art and further.

description thereof appears to be unnecessary'. The only purpose of this coupling is to provide means for-easily andquickly attaching and detaching the discharge end of the secondary compressor with the various ittings tobe supplied with lubricant. l

.AVhen a primary compressor such as I have described is provided with the secondary compressor described above, and when the plungl erof the primary compressor is actuated to the sleeve y place the lubricant therein under pressure, if

lthe resistance of thebearing to which the lubricant is being supplied is not too great, the lubricant will flow through the discharge conduit 10, then -open the check valve 28, pass through the bore 27, the cylinder 16. and the coupling member associated with this cylinder into the tting without actuating the differential piston. If, however, theiresistance of the bearing requires more than'a predetermined A'amount of pressure to force lubricant into the bearing, as the pressure on the lubricant is increased, a point will be reached where the pressure exerted upon the enlarged endof thediferential piston-will begin to I move thepiston against-the tension of the 'spring 26. Itl will be noticed thatv there is a space 43 between theL end of the large cylinder and the large piston which permits the pressureof the lubricant to be exerted upon the entire area of the larger end of the piston. Upon the initial movement of the piston, the sprmg 29 will'bias the check valve 28 to its closed position, since the pressures on the lucompressor. 'It will, of course, be apparent that the. increase in pressure impressed upon the lubricant in the cylinder' 16 will depend i upon the relative areas of theopposite ends of the differentialpistomk' It should also be .l noticed that the closing of thecheck `val-ve` 28 under the superior pressure inthecylinder 16 prevents this high pressure frombeing communicated to the'exible hose k1'0 and the primary compressor. This is very important, as it relieves these two elements of the excessively high pressures whchmay be developed in the cylinder 16. l While I have disclosed my secondary eomn p're'ssor :is-comprising a self-contained unit i end of the discharged conduit of theprimary- Whichcan be attached to or detached from the primary compressor as desired, itis entirely possible and practicable to permanently at tach the secondary compressor ywith the free compressor. This would, of course, mean the elimination of the coupling 11,-that-1s, the free end of the conduit l() -Would be connected directly with and permanently tothe low pressure end of the secondary compressor.

`llhile I have described the details of construction of the preferr'edembodiment of m invention, -it is to be clearlyunderstoodthat my invention is not lmitedto these detalls,

but iscapable of other adaptations and inodifications within claims.

Having Iclaimis: a l. A lubricating system comprising a primary compressor having a discharge .condult and Athe scope ofthe appended thus describedmy invention, what a secondary compressorconnected to the end" of said discharge conduit and 'comprising a pair of differential cylinders, the larger of which communicates withsaid'discharge con- 49' i differential-cylinders and having a passageduit, a differential `piston reciprocable in said way for establishing communication between said cylinders, a spring pressed check valve in said passageway closing toward said primary compressor, yieldable means for urgmg said piston in one direction and means for connecting the smaller of said cylinders with 'a bearing.

2. A lubricating systemicomprising a bearing Vto be lubricated and means for supplying lubricant '-to said bearing comprisingV a source of. lubricant, a conduit leading from said source of lubricant, asingle compressor .forA v'forcing the lubricant vunder pressure through said conduit and for subsequently relie-ving the pressure onthe lubricant, and means forconnecting said conduit with said' bearing comprising a pair of differential cylinders, a differential piston -reciprocable ,in said cylinders, a lubricant pressed cup leather associated with-,each piston, a spring for returning'said piston toward the yintake ends of said cylinders, said connectin means having'a passageway leading from t einlet end of the larger ofiaid differential cylinders to the inlet end ofthe smaller of said differenti-al vcylinders and communicating with v saidconduit, said piston embodying means .for closing saidv passageway when-said piston moves in 'adirection to 'discharge lubricant -70 from said smaller cylinder, and a spring check valve for preventing return flow of lubricant tovsaidmaller cylinder. y 3. An automatic lubricant pressure increasing device comprising two cylinders of dif- 7 5 ferent cross-sectional area and separated by an imperforate Wall, differential pistons therein, means for supplying lubricant under y pressure to the largegpiston, imeans for permitting flow o'fhibricant frornthe larger to 80 the smallercylinder vupon a predetermined pressure dierence in. said cylinders and for preventing ow oflubricant in the opposite direction, a spring normally 'urging said piston and plunger towardthe ends of their respective cylinders, and means'for connect-v ing the smallermylindente-a bearing to be' lubricated. v I

LFA lubricant "cmpressoi" comprising me'ansfor 'supplying' lubricant under presv90 sure to a bearing, asbarrel having Vits head end 'connected thereto, a separate cylinder detachablyconnected with and of smaller effective area than said barrel, differential CLIFFORD o. emmener.A 1 

